|
Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
|
|
Introductory
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
ABBREVIATION :
ERICAL
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
ERCA6
COMMON NAMES :
yerba santa
mountain balm
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted name of yerba santa is Eriodictyon californicum
(H. & A.) Torr., in the family Hydrophyllaceae. There are no recognized
subspecies or varieties [25].
LIFE FORM :
Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Janet L. Howard, April 1992
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Howard, Janet L. 1992. Eriodictyon californicum. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Yerba santa occurs in California and Oregon. It is distrubuted along
the Coast and Klamath ranges from Monterey County north to Siskiyou
County, California. It occurs in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range
from Kern County north to Klamath and Jackson counties, Oregon [12,25].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
STATES :
CA OR
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
PINN PORE SEQU WHIS YOSE
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
KOO5 Mixed conifer forest
KOO6 Redwood forest
K009 Pine - cypress forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
K030 California oakwoods
K033 Chaparral
K034 Montane chaparral
SAF COVER TYPES :
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
232 Redwood
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
246 California black oak
247 Jeffrey pine
249 Canyon live oak
250 Blue oak - Digger pine
255 California coast live oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Yerba santa is an occasionally dominant shrub in annual grassland and
oak (Quercus spp.) woodland. It is listed as a dominant ecoassociation
type (eas) in the following published classification:
Area Classification Authority
CA: Sierra
Nevada Mts. CA hardwood eas Allen and others 1991
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Domestic goats occasionally consume yerba santa leaves and twigs.
Otherwise, livestock do not use it [10,18]. In winter and spring,
plants are lightly browsed by black-tailed deer, contributing to about 6
percent of their total diet [3]. During winters when more desirable
forage is scarce, yerba santa may become a critical element in the diet
of deer [6]. In addition, deer consumption increases during the first
two growing seasons following a fire. In Madera County, California,
deer consumed 78 percent of new seedlings and sprouts of the first
postfire growing season. At postfire year 2, consumption was down to 30
percent [27]. No information concerning seed consuption is available.
Full seed capsules may be eaten by birds and rodents. The seeds alone
are probably too small [0.04 to 0.06 inch (1.0-1.5 mm)] to be eaten by
most animals, although insects probably consume them.
PALATABILITY :
Yerba santa leaves contain aromatic compounds that give them an
unpleasant odor and bitter taste [9,27]. Consequently, it is not
preferred browse. The browse rating of yerba santa for livestock and
wildlife species is as follows [27]:
cattle - poor
sheep - poor
horses - poor
goats - poor
mule deer - fair to poor
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Yerba santa is nutritious in spring. In one study, the dry-weight
protein content of twigs and leaves varied from 5.4 percent in July to
17.0 percent in April [4]. In a separate study on mineral nutrition,
yerba santa proved to be a better source of calcium and sulfur than any
of 11 other chaparral browse species tested. The mineral content of
yerba santa browse is as follows [28]:
Mean Percent Mineral Composition
phosphorus 0.11
sulfur 0.22
calcium 1.15
magnesium 0.55
potassium 0.83
COVER VALUE :
Mature yerba santa shrubs are often spindly, with leaves at the tips of
the branches and bare limbs below. Their cover value is poor. Younger
shrubs provide cover for various birds and small mammals.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Yerba santa can be utilized in rangeland rehabilitation because the
plant establishes well in disturbed soil. Yerba santa sprouts
adventitiously when roots are exposed following mechanical site
preparation [33]. In addition, seeds will germinate in disturbed areas.
If yerba santa is to be used for rehabilitation, it is necessary to
avoid excessively overturning the soil and damaging existing rhizomes,
or burying seed too deeply for germination.
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Yerba santa leaf extract was used by Native Americans and early settlers
as a remedy for cough, colds, grippe, and asthma [25,27].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Range: Yerba santa can become dominant on heavily used rangelands,
particularly in areas that have been converted from brushland to
grassland. Livestock consume other plants before they browse yerba
santa [27]. With reduced competition, yerba santa eventually forms
dense pure stands [6,11,19].
Control: The best method of control is to move livestock off the range
before desirable browse becomes overgrazed. Chemical control is
possible but may be difficult. Some yerba santa populations are
beginning to show resistance to phenoxy compounds such as 2,4-D. These
chemicals can still be effective in some areas, however. Basal
applications of karbutilate are also effective. Precautions for its use
in pastures and rangelands have been detailed [7]. Karbutilate requires
several months to break down. If treated in the summer or early fall,
the rangeland could be seeded with desirable grass and/or herbaceous
species in the early spring. Chemical control, along with reseeding,
would probably be an effective eradication strategy.
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Yerba santa is an erect, much-branched, native evergreen shrub from 2 to
8 feet (0.6-2.4 m) in height. The branches are glutinous or resinous;
lanceolate leaves are glutinous on top. Mature leaves are often
blackened by a sooty fungus [25,27]. The root system is shallow, with
multibranching rhizomes. Most of the main roots are confined to the top
3 inches (7.6 cm) of soil [9,20]. The fruit is a small capsule, 0.08 to
0.12 inch (2-3 mm) long, containing two to eight small seeds [25].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual: Yerba santa reproduces from seed [25,27,28]. Seedlings may be
adundant after fire [37]. They emerge 1 to 3 weeks later than seedlings
of other brush species, and experience high mortality [28]. Yerba santa
seedlings are poor competitors. Seedlings are particularly sensitive to
emerging herbaceous species [6,19,28]. A seedbed rich in herbaceous
species will competitively eliminate most emerging yerba santa seedlings
[19]. Surviving seedlings grow rapidly. Schultz and Biswell [28]
reported seedlings attaining heights of up to 20 inches within the first
season. Plants become sexually mature within 2 or 3 years. Most seed
falls beneath the parent plant. The seed is very small, and is readily
buried beneath the litter layer, duff, and soil to become part of the
seedbank. Seed germinates following a disturbance such as fire or
mechanical site preparation [6]. Longevity of soil-stored seed is
unknown [37].
Vegetative: Yerba santa regenerates asexually through rhizomes, which
may be produced as early as the first growing season following seedling
establishment [6,11,19,33]. Vegetative reproduction is the most
successful method of self-propagation in established communities [6].
Biswell [37] reported that rhizomes may grow as much as 8 feet (2.5 m)
in one summer, giving rise to plants every 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm).
Vegetatvie growth is not usually this rapid, such rapid grow may occur
on ash beds after fire if soil is fertile and moisture adundant.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Yerba santa occurs on dry, rocky slopes and ridges. It is common on
south- or east-facing slopes [25,33].
Elevation: Yerba santa occurs below 5,500 feet (1,676 m), with a
mean elevation of 2,120 feet (636 m) [1,25].
Soil: Yerba santa grows in shallow to deep, slightly acidic soil.
Soil texture varies from sandy loam to heavy clay [5,6,8,28].
It will tolerate serpentine soil [15,21].
Climate: Yerba santa occurs in a Mediterranean climate with wet, mild
winters and hot, dry summers. Snow showers occur during the winter
months but usually melt off rapidly [23]. Soil temperatures are
frequently below freezing in winter [29].
Associated species: Associated species include chaparral whitethorn
(Ceanothus leucodermis), wedgeleaf ceanothus (C. cuneatus), manzanita
(Arctostaphylos spp.), tree poppy (Dendromecon rigida), broadleaf and
redstem filaree (Erodium botrys and E. cicutarium), soft chess (Bromus
mollis), and foxtail fescue (Festuca megalura) [28,29,36]. (also see
SAF cover types)
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Yerba santa is both a residual colonizer and a survivor in disturbed
communities, establishing either from seed or by sprouting from rhizomes
[6,24,29]. Mature shrubs are found in early seral communities. It is a
diminished survivor, however. It is shade-intolerant, and plants
gradually die out as the community matures. Yerba santa is displaced in
climax communities by chaparral whitethorn, wedgeleaf ceanothus, and
various manzanitas [21].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
The seasonal development of yerba santa is as follows [20,25,28]:
vegetative growth begins - April
flowers in bloom - May to June
seed ripe - September
seed dissemination - September to November
germination - March
seedlings emerge - April
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Plant adaptations: Yerba santa establishs after fire by sprouting from
rhizomes or through germination of seed stored in the seedbank
[6,19,27].
Fire ecology: Yerba santa leaves secrete flammable resins and waxes
which build up and make the leaf surface gummy [9,25,27]. The branches
are also glutinous. Older, resinous leaves are dropped during summer,
producing highly flammable litter.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Moderate-severity fire top-kills yerba santa; severe fire may kill it.
Survival of underground rhizomes is most likely after low- to
moderate-severity fire [28].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Yerba santa germinates from seed during the first postfire growing
season. Seeds that have lain dormant in the soil for decades will
germinate following a fire [6]. It is possible that yerba santa has
hard-coated seeds that will not germinate except when scarified. Yerba
santa seeds are very difficult to germinate under laboratory conditions
[14]; and may have some mechanism that inhibits water imbibition and
germination. Alternatively, fire may break the seed's dormancy by
burning off the litter layer and exposing the seed to sufficient light
to allow germination. Newly established seedlings grow rapidly, and may
begin vegetative reproduction in the second postfire growing season [6].
Yerba santa sprouts from surviving rhizomes at the first postfire
growing season [19].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Range: Repeated prescribed fires are not recommended for eradicating
yerba santa. Eepeated rangeland fires have increased yerba santa
populations and decreased the number of desirable browse species. The
combination of fire and herbivory removes competing species. If fire is
to be used as a management tool, a single fire is recommended to
top-kill existing plants; thereafter herbicides should be used to kill
sprouts and seedlings [6,19].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa
REFERENCES :
1. Allen, Barbara H.; Holzman, Barbara A.; Evett, Rand R. 1991. A
classification system for California's hardwood rangelands. Hilgardia.
59(2): 1-45. [17371]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
3. Bissell, Harold Deane. 1951. Nutritive value of winter deer browse with
respect to burning and growth stage. Berkeley, CA: University of
California. 31 p. Thesis. [17046]
4. Bissell, Harold D.; Strong, Helen. 1955. The crude protein variations in
the browse diet of California deer. California Fish and Game. 41(2):
145-155. [10524]
5. Biswell, H. H. 1961. Manipulation of chamise brush for deer range
improvement. California Fish and Game. 47(2): 125-144. [6366]
6. Biswell, H. H.; Gilman, J. H. 1961. Brush management in relation to fire
and other environmental factors on the Tehama deer winter range.
California Fish and Game. 47(4): 357-389. [6275]
7. Bovey, Rodney W. 1977. Response of selected woody plants in the United
States to herbicides. Agric. Handb. 493. Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 101 p. [8899]
8. Burma, George D. 1968. Controlled burning on the public domain in
California. In: Proceedings, Tall Timbers fire ecology conference; 1967
November 9-10; Hoberg, California. No. 7. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers
Research Station: 235-243. [6269]
9. Cooper, W. S. 1922. The broad-sclerophyll vegetation of California.
Publ. No. 319. Washington, DC: The Carnegie Institution of Washington.
145 p. [6716]
10. Dayton, William A. 1931. Important western browse plants. Misc. Publ.
101. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 214 p. [768]
11. Dennis, Mike. 1981. Periodic burning enhances utilization of grass type
conversions. Rangelands. 3(5): 205-207. [5603]
12. Detling, LeRoy E. 1961. The chaparral formation of southwestern Oregon,
with considerations of its postglacial history. Ecology. 42(2): 348-357.
[6360]
13. Everett, Percy C. 1957. A summary of the culture of California plants at
the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1927-1950. Claremont, CA: The Rancho
Santa Ana Botanic Garden. 223 p. [7191]
14. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
15. Franklin, Jerry F.; Dyrness, C. T. 1973. Natural vegetation of Oregon
and Washington. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-8. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range
Experiment Station. 417 p. [961]
16. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
17. Gill, A. Malcolm. 1981. Fire adaptive traits of vascular plants. In:
Mooney, H. A.; Bonnicksen, T. M.; Christensen, N. L.; [and others],
technical coordinators. Fire regimes and ecosystem properties:
Proceedings of the conference; 1978 December 11-15; Honolulu, HI. Gen.
Tech. Rep. WO-26. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service: 208-230. [4394]
18. Green, Lisle R.; Newell, Leonard A. 1982. Using goats to control brush
regrowth on fuelbreaks. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-59. Berkeley, CA: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and
Range Experiment Station. 13 p. [10681]
19. Hedrick, Donald W. 1951. Studies on the succession and manipulation of
chamise brushlands in California. College Station, TX: Texas
Agricultural and Mechanical College. 113 p. Dissertation. [8525]
20. Hellmers, H.; Horton, J. S.; Juhren, G.; O'Keefe, J. 1955. Root systems
of some chaparral plants in southern California. Ecology. 36(4):
667-678. [6147]
21. Holland, Robert F. 1986. Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial
natural communities of California. Sacramento, CA: California Department
of Fish and Game. 156 p. [12756]
22. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
23. Leach, Howard R.; Hiehle, Jack L. 1956. Food habits of the Tehama deer
herd. California Fish and Game. 43: 161-178. [6874]
24. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
25. Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. 1905 p. [6155]
26. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
27. Sampson, Arthur W.; Jespersen, Beryl S. 1963. California range
brushlands and browse plants. Berkeley, CA: University of California,
Division of Agricultural Sciences, California Agricultural Experiment
Station, Extension Service. 162 p. [3240]
28. Schultz, A. M.; Biswell, H. H. 1952. Competition between grasses
reseeded on burned brushlands in California. Journal of Range
Management. 5: 338-345. [16545]
29. Schultz, A. M.; Launchbaugh, J. L.; Biswell, H. H. 1955. Relationship
between grass density and brush seedling survival. Ecology. 36(2):
226-238. [12503]
30. Scrivner, Jerry H.; Vaughn, Charles E.; Jones, Milton B. 1988. Mineral
concentrations of black-tailed deer diets in California chaparral.
Journal of Wildlife Management. 52(1): 37-40. [3055]
31. Stocking, Stephen K. 1966. Influences of fire and sodium-calcium borate
on chaparral vegetation. Madrono. 18(7): 193-203. [9794]
32. Taber, Richard D. 1956. Deer nutrition and population dynamics in the
north Coast Range of California. In: Transactions, 21st North American
Wildlife Conference. 21: 159-172. [16311]
33. Taber, Richard D.; Dasmann, Raymond F. 1958. The black-tailed deer of
the chaparral: Its life history and management in the North Coast Range
of California. Game Bulletin No. 8. Sacramento, CA: State of California,
Department of Fish and Game, Game Management Branch. 166 p. [16312]
34. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
35. Vankat, John L.; Major, Jack. 1978. Vegetation changes in Sequoia
National Park, California. Journal of Biogeography. 5: 377-402. [17353]
36. Vogl, Richard J.; Armstrong, Wayne P.; White, Keith L.; Cole, Kenneth L.
1977. The closed-cone pines and cypress. In: Barbour, Michael G.; Major,
Jack, eds. Terrestrial vegetation of California. New York: John Wiley
and Sons: 295-358. [7219]
37. Biswell, Harold H. 1974. Effects of fire on chaparral. In: Kozlowski, T.
T.; Ahlgren, C. E., eds. Fire and ecosystems. New York: Academic Press:
321-364. [14542]
Index
Related categories for Species: Eriodictyon californicum
| Yerba Santa
|
 |
